Hype is high

Benq today announced that its 27-inch RL2755HM "blazing fast professional gaming monitor" is now shipping, meaning you should be able to find it online, if not now then soon. Selected as the official console gaming monitor of both Major League Gaming (MLG) and UMG, they hype machine is in overdrive on this one. We haven't played with this particular model ourselves just yet, though we have glanced the spec sheet.

A sound decision

When's the last time you fired up a monitor and thought, "Wow, the speakers in this thing are amazing!"? Probably never. The best you can really hope for from the tinny cans that manufactures shove inside of monitors is serviceable audio, but more often than not, they simply suck. Granted, nobody goes shopping for a monitor and puts audio quality at the top of their list, but c'mon, is this the best the industry can do? Maybe not. Asus promises a better audio experience with its new Designo MX27AQ, a 27-inch WQHD (2560x1440) monitorwith embedded ICEpower Bang & Olufsen technology.

Looking beyond 4K Ultra HD

Consumers have yet to fully embrace 4K Ultra HD displays, but now that the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has published the Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) 1.4a standard, it will only be a matter of time before 8K resolution panels end up on all-in-one PCs, laptops, and even mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The new standard replaces eDP 1.4 published a year ago this month.

Monitor market is transforming

For the longest time, it seemed as though the monitor market was frozen in time. While CPUs and graphics cards became increasingly advanced and faster with each new generation, monitor makers were content to stick with Full HD 1080p panels of varying sizes for mainstream users, and 30-inch panels checking in at 2560x1600. Ah, but the landscape is changing, so don't be shocked if monitor makers test the market with bigger size and higher resolution displays.

Having fun with FreeSync

A visit to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas wouldn't be complete without popping by AVN AMD to see what the Sunnyvale chip designer is excited about as we embark on a new year of technology, and we got our answer to that when Online Managing Editor and freestyle rap legend Jimmy Thang moonwalked his way to AMD's location. It was there that he got a glimpse of AMD's FreeSync display technology in action.

One is the world’s maiden G-Sync enabled IPS monitor and the other the first with an edge-to-edge frameless display

Acer has officially announced the 27-inch XB270HU gaming monitor that we told you about in November. Specs-wise, it’s not exactly what we had expected it to be, though. What we thought would be another TN (twisted nematic) panel display with G-Sync has, to our pleasant surprise, turned out to be the world’s first G-SYNC enabled gaming monitor with an IPS display. But it is not the only upcoming Acer gaming monitor to pack a world-first design choice.

Compact accessory turns your existing eyewear into a set of smart glasses

The wearables category is shaping up to be a big one, or at least manufacturers will give the segment the ol' college try. We expect to see a bunch of wearable devices at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next month, especially since we're already seeing a handful of products hit the web ahead of the convention. Take Sony for instance -- Sony is developing a compact and lightweight single-lens display module that it says can turn various eyewear into smart devices.

A 4K monitor for gamers and professionals

Though the 4K Ultra HD revolution is happening faster than most probably anticipated, the number of 4K monitors actually worth owning are surprisingly low. That's because of early growing pains -- low refresh rates (like 30Hz) without Multi-Stream Transport (MST) support, TN panels, and other undesirables have held the category back. That's why we're cautiously optimistic about the new Asus PB279Q, a 27-inch 4K monitor with an IPS panel.

Not every new monitor is 4K

Sceptre today announced the availability of its E275W-1920, a 27-inch monitor with an LED backlight and 1920x1080 display resolution. It's not the elusive (so far, anyway) 4K monitor with IPS panel, 120Hz refresh rate, and affordable price tag that we're all waiting for, but then again, there are reasons why someone might want to stick with 1080p if buying a new display, like the lack of scaling issues.

A big price drop on a 4K monitor

It's not the version with Nvidia's G-Sync technology baked inside, but Acer's B286HK 28-inch 4K Ultra HD monitor is selling for just $349 on Newegg today. That's a pretty hot price for a 3840x2160 monitor that's capable of 4K video at 60 FPS over DsiplayPort 1.2. It's an especially good deal when you consider its original selling price of $699, though we've seen it on the street for as low as $450 (Provantage) prior to today's sale price.